Systems and methods for scoring competitive strategy predictions of users on a play-by-play basis

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure describes, among other things, a method that may include receiving, by a first computing device, an identity of an event that has occurred in a sporting competition, the sporting competition comprising a plurality of events. The method may include determining, by a processor of the first computing device, a probability that the event would occur. The method may include determining, by the processor of the first computing device, a number of points based at least in part on the probability that the event would occur. The method may include receiving, by the first computing device, a prediction of an event from a second computing device in communication with the first computing device. The method may include increasing, by the processor of the first computing device, a score of a user of the second computing device by the number of points if the prediction of the event matches the identity of the event.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 61/394,010, entitled “Systems and Methods for Scoring CompetitiveStrategy Predictions of Users on a Play-by-Play Basis” and filed Oct.18, 2010, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

BACKGROUND

Competitive strategy prediction competitions are generally directed toindividual metrics gathered at predetermined times throughout thesporting season. For example, in fantasy leagues, individuals may createhypothetical teams and accrue points based on the selected athletes'performance throughout the season.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the present disclosure describes a method that mayinclude receiving, by a first computing device, an identity of an eventthat has occurred in a sporting competition, the sporting competitioncomprising a plurality of events. The method may include determining, bya processor of the first computing device, a probability that the eventwould occur. The method may include determining, by the processor of thefirst computing device, a number of points based at least in part on theprobability that the event would occur. The method may includereceiving, by the first computing device, a prediction of an event froma second computing device in communication with the first computingdevice. The method may include increasing, by the processor of the firstcomputing device, a score of a user of the second computing device bythe number of points if the prediction of the event matches the identityof the event.

The sporting competition may include at least one sporting competitionfrom a set including a football game, a baseball game, an ice hockeygame, a boxing match, a tennis game, a golf game, a motor sportingcompetition, a martial arts competition, an automative racingcompetition, a basketball game, a cricket game, a rugby game, or a horserace. The football game may include at least one of an American footballgame or a soccer game.

Determining the probability that the event would occur may includeidentifying past events. Identifying past events similar to the eventthat has occurred may include identifying past events based at least inpart on a team, a number of a down in a football game, an identity of aquarterback, a score differential between the teams, an amount of timeremaining in a competition, and a season record for the team.Identifying past events similar to the event that has occurred mayinclude identifying past events based at least in part on a scoredifferential between teams, a period of time within a competition, alocation of the competition, an identity of a pitcher, an identity of abatter, a number of outs in an inning, and a position of a runner on abase. Determining the number of points may include determining thenumber of points based at least in part on an inverse relationship withthe probability that the event would occur. Determining the number ofpoints may include subtracting the probability from 100.

The method may include decreasing the score of the user when theprediction of the event does not match the identity of the event. Themethod may include determining the prediction of an event is null when apredetermined period of time elapses. In one aspect, the presentdisclosure describes an apparatus. The apparatus may include a processorand a memory. The memory may store instructions that, when executed bythe processor, cause the processor to receive an identity of an eventthat has occurred in a sporting competition, the sporting competitioncomprising a plurality of events; determine a probability that the eventwould occur; determine a number of points based at least in part on theprobability that the event would occur; receive a prediction of an eventfrom a computing device; and increase a score of a user of the computingdevice by the number of points if the prediction of the event matchesthe identity of the event.

The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to identify past events similar to the event thathas occurred and determine the probability based on the past events. Thememory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to identify past events based at least in part on ateam, a number of a down in a football game, an identity of aquarterback, a score differential between the teams, an amount of timeremaining in a competition, and a season record for the team. The memorymay store instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause theprocessor to identify past events based at least in part on a scoredifferential between teams, a period of time within a competition, alocation of the competition, an identity of a pitcher, an identity of abatter, a number of outs in an inning, and a position of a runner on abase.

The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to determine the number of points based at least inpart on an inverse relationship with the probability that the eventwould occur. The memory may store instructions that, when executed bythe processor, cause the processor to subtract the probability from 100.

The memory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to decrease the score of the user when theprediction of the event does not match the identity of the event. Thememory may store instructions that, when executed by the processor,cause the processor to determine the prediction of an event is null whena predetermined period of time elapses.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The foregoing and other objects, aspects, features, and advantages ofthe present disclosure will become more apparent and better understoodby referring to the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary network environment 100 forscoring competitive strategy predictions of users on a play-by-play;

FIG. 2 is an exemplary user interface for accessing an applicationrelated to a competitive strategy prediction service;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are exemplary user interfaces for signing into anapplication related to a competitive strategy prediction service;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary user interface for creating an account with acompetitive strategy prediction service;

FIG. 6 is an exemplary user interface for submitting an image for anaccount with a competitive strategy prediction service;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary user interface with a menu of functions;

FIGS. 8 and 9 are exemplary user interfaces for viewing informationabout upcoming competitions;

FIGS. 10-12 are exemplary user interfaces for viewing information aboutrecent competitions;

FIGS. 13 and 14 are exemplary user interfaces for viewing informationabout current competitions;

FIG. 15 is an exemplary user interface for using the competitivestrategy service for a competition;

FIG. 16 is an exemplary user interface depicting past events for acompetition;

FIGS. 17-25 are exemplary user interfaces with potential plays for acompetition;

FIGS. 26-30 are exemplary user interfaces used in the course of making aprediction for a play in a competition;

FIGS. 31-32 are exemplary user interfaces for communicating betweenusers during a competition;

FIGS. 33-36 are exemplary user interfaces for displaying statisticsregarding users;

FIGS. 37-40 are exemplary user interfaces for adding contacts to thecompetitive strategy prediction service;

FIGS. 41A and 41B are block diagrams of exemplary computing devices;

FIG. 42 is an exemplary user interfaces for viewing information aboutcurrent ice hockey competitions;

FIG. 43 is an exemplary user interface for using the competitivestrategy service for an ice hockey competition;

FIG. 44 is an exemplary user interface used in the course of making aprediction for an outcome of a sporting competition;

FIGS. 45-47 are exemplary user interfaces used in the course of making aprediction for a play in a competition;

FIGS. 48-49 are exemplary user interfaces used in the course of making aprediction for an outcome in a competition;

FIG. 50 is an exemplary user interface for displaying statistics about aboxing match; and

FIG. 51 is an exemplary user interface for comparing statistics betweentwo users who made predictions for a boxing match.

The features and advantages of the present disclosure will become moreapparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken inconjunction with the drawings, in which like reference charactersidentify corresponding elements throughout. In the drawings, likereference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar,and/or structurally similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some implementations, the present disclosure may be directed to asystem and method for scoring competitive strategy predictions of userson a play-by-play basis. A competitive strategy prediction service maymanage user accounts. A user may select a sporting competition inprogress and view events (also referred to herein as “plays”) that havealready occurred. The user may select an event from a plurality ofpotential events presented by the competitive strategy service to make aprediction. The service may update the user's prediction score based ona comparison between the user's prediction and the actual event. Theserver may update the user's prediction score based on a comparisonbetween the user's prediction, the actual event, and other users'predictions. The user may belong to one or more groups (e.g., leagues)in which the user competes against other users based on their predictionscores.

The present disclosure may include a method for scoring competitivestrategy predictions of users on a play-by-play basis. The method mayinclude requesting in real-time, by a processor on a first computingdevice, an identity of an event for a sporting competition comprising aplurality of events. The method may include receiving, by the firstcomputing device, the identity of the event. The method may includetransmitting, by the first computing device, a plurality of predictionsfor the event to a second computing device, the plurality of predictionsincluding the identity of the event received. The method may includereceiving, by the first computing device, a selection from the pluralityof predictions from the second computing device. The method may includeupdating, by the first computing device, a score of a user of the secondcomputing device based on a comparison of the selection and the identityof the event.

In some implementations, the systems and methods of the presentdisclosure may be applied to any sporting competition. Exemplarysporting competitions may include football games (e.g., AmericanFootball games such as the National Football League (NFL) games, orsoccer games), baseball games, ice hockey games, boxing matches, tennismatches, golf games, motor sporting competitions, automotive racingcompetitions (e.g., competitions organized by the National Associationfor Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), martial arts competitions (e.g.,competitions organized by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)),wrestling competitions, basketball games, cricket games, rugby games,Olympic games and events, and/or horse races. In some implementations,sporting competitions may include professional sporting competitions. Inother implementations, sporting competitions may include collegiatesporting competitions or amateur sporting competitions.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an implementation of a network environment 100for scoring competitive strategy predictions of users on a play-by-playbasis is shown and described. In brief overview, the network environmentincludes a computing device such as competition management server 105that provides a competitive strategy prediction service and that mayinclude a memory (not shown), a computing device such as an event feedserver 110, and a plurality of computing devices such as user computingdevices 115 a-n. The network environment 100 may include remote devices120, 120 b in communication with the event feed server 110. Thecompetition management server 105, event feed server 110, user computingdevices 115 a-n, and/or remote devices 120 may communicate over one ormore networks 120.

The event feed server 110 may include information regarding eventsregarding sporting competitions (e.g., “plays”). In someimplementations, an event feed server 110 may aggregate informationabout plays in on-going sporting competitions from various sources, suchas remote devices 120 a, 120 b. In some implementations, attendees atthe sporting competitions may have the remote devices 120. Each attendeemay input information about the sporting competition into a remotedevice 120. For example, an attendee may input the starting line-up foreach baseball team at a baseball competition. The attendee may input thestarting pitcher. The attendee may input information about a playersubstitution in the competition.

In some implementations, an attendee may input information about playsof a competition into a remote device 120. For example, the attendee mayinput that a player on a football team fumbled, resulting in anincomplete pass. For example, the attendee may input that a boxerknocked out his opponent. The remote device 120 may send the informationto the event feed server 110. The event feed server 110 may store theinformation and/or index the information based on the identity of thesporting competition.

The event feed server 110 may send information about the sportingcompetitions to the competition management server 105. In someimplementations, the competition management server 105 may sendinformation received from the event feed server 110 to the usercomputing devices 115. In some implementations, the competitionmanagement server 105 may directly pass information from the event feedserver 110 to the user computing devices 115. For example, thecompetition management server 105 may identify user computing devices115 on which users are following a current sporting competition, such asa football competition between Team A and Team B. When the competitionmanagement server 105 receives information from the event feed server110 about the football competition between Team A and Team B, the server105 may directly pass the information to the user computing devices 115with users who are following that competition. In some implementations,the server 105 may send the information via a JavaScript Object Notation(JSON) or Extensible Markup Language (XML) application programminginterface (API).

In some implementations, a user account for the competitive strategyprediction service may include a subscription for information related toa topic, such as American football teams in the National FootballLeague. The user computing device 115 through which the user accountaccesses the competitive strategy prediction service may maintain aconnection with the competition management server 105. In someimplementations, the connection may include a data channel. The datachannel may be centralized. In some implementations, the user computingdevice 115 may have substantially continuous communication with the datachannel via a persisted open connection. The data channel may beassociated with information related to the topic. When the competitionmanagement server 105 receives information related to the topic, theserver 105 may send the information to the data channel (e.g., publishthe information to the data channel). In some implementations, the usercomputing device 115 may access the data channel via a subscription, byway of example. The device 115 may access information published to thedata channel.

The competition management server 105 may store information receivedfrom the event feed server 110. In some implementations, the competitionmanagement server 105 may process the information. In someimplementations, processing the information may update statisticsrelating to athletes or sporting competitions. For example, when theevent feed server 110 sends information on an event, such as a pitcherstriking out a batter, the competition management server 105 mayretrieve information about the batter's batting average against thepitcher and overall batting average. Based on the batter's strikeout,the competition management server 105 may determine updated battingaverages for the batter. The server 105 may overwrite obsolete valuesfor the batting averages in memory with the updated values. In someimplementations, the server 105 may send the updated averages to theuser computing devices 115.

The competition management server 105 may store accounts for users ofthe competitive strategy prediction service. In some implementations, anaccount may include identification information of the user, such as theuser's name and account password. In some implementations, an accountmay include information about the user's friends with accounts for thecompetitive strategy prediction service, the user's competitive leagues,and/or the user's prediction score(s). In some implementations, anaccount may include the identities of social networks for which the userhas accounts. In some implementations, the account may includeauthentication and/or credentials for the social network accounts.

In some implementations, a prediction score may be a number of pointsthat user has accrued by making accurate predictions for sportingcompetitions (also referred to herein as “prediction point score”). Insome implementations, a prediction score may be a percentage of thenumber of accurate predictions the user has made compared to the user'stotal number of predictions (also referred to herein as “predictionpercentage score”). In many implementations, users may have bothprediction point scores and/or prediction accuracy percentage scores. Auser may have one cumulative prediction score of each type (e.g.,points, percentage). A user may have separate prediction scores of eachtype for each competitive league the user belongs to (e.g., predictionscores for Friends League A, Acquaintances League B). In someimplementations, the user may have separate prediction scores of eachtype according to the type of sporting competitions the user makespredictions for (e.g., baseball prediction scores, football predictionscores).

In various implementations, an account may include the user's settings.The settings may include a user's preferences for sporting competitions.For example, a user may indicate a preference for football competitionsover baseball competitions. Further, the user may indicate a preferencefor football competitions in the American Football Conference (AFC) overcompetitions in the National Football Conference (NFC). Additionally,the user may indicate a preference for competitions in the EasternDivision of the AFC over competitions in the other divisions. The usermay set preferences for sporting competitions in any manner that wouldbe understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

In operation, the user may access the competitive strategy predictionservice by using a user computing device 115. The user computing device115 may include an application that connects the user to the competitivestrategy prediction service on the competition management server 105. Invarious implementations, the user may obtain the application bydownloading the application from the competitive strategy predictionservice's website or a third-party provider of applications, such as theiTunes™ stores. Activating the application may automatically connect thedevice 115 to the competition management server 105.

In some implementations, activating the application may direct the userto an introductory user interface (UI) 200, such as the exemplaryscreenshot depicted in FIG. 2. The user interface 200 may include a signin control 205, a control 210 for creating an account with thecompetitive strategy prediction service (e.g., a control to join theservice), and a control 215 for using the service as a guest.

If a user selects the sign in control 205, the user computing device 115may display a sign in user interface 300 or 400, such as the exemplaryscreenshots depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4. The user interfaces 300, 400 mayrequest credentials from the user. For example, the user interfaces 300,400 may include fields 305, 405 for the user to input a username. Forexample, the user interfaces 300, 400 may include fields 310, 410 forthe user to input a password. In some implementations, a user interface400 may include a control 415 whose activations sends information (e.g.,credentials) inputted into fields 405, 410 to the competition managementserver 105. In some implementations, the user interface 400 may includea social network login control 420. If the user selects this control420, the application may redirect the user to the login interface forthe social network (not shown). The user may enter credentials for thesocial network into the login interface, and the credentials may be usedto access the user's account for the competition strategy predictionservice.

If a user selects the control 210 for creating an account with thecompetition strategy prediction service, the user computing device 115may display an account creation user interface 500, such as theexemplary screenshots depicted in FIG. 5. The account creation userinterface 500 may include fields 505, 510, 515, 520, 525 that may acceptthe username, name, e-mail address, password, and favorite team of theuser. The account creation user interface 500 may include other fieldsthat accept other information for the account. In some implementations,a user interface 500 may include a control 530 whose activations sendsthe information inputted into fields 505, 510, 515, 520, 525 to thecompetition management server 105. Upon receipt of the information, theserver 105 may create an account with the information provided in thefields 505, 510, 515, 520, 525.

In some implementations, an account creation user interface 600 maypermit a user to submit an image to the account, as shown in FIG. 6. Insome implementations, the image may appear as an icon or avatar, by wayof example, whenever the user accesses the application on the usercomputing device 115. The user may select an image stored on the usercomputing device 115. Upon selection, the image may appear in a window603 on the device 115. The user may select a control 605 to include theimage in the account (e.g., upload the image to the account). In someimplementations, a user may select a control 610 to forgo including animage in his or her account.

In some implementations, after the user accesses the competitivestrategy prediction service, the competition management server 105 maytransmit a menu to the user computing device 115, such as the menu inthe user interface 700 of FIG. 7. The menu in the user interface 700 mayinclude icons that permit a user to view a list of competitions 705(e.g., “Play”), access results of competitions previously tracked 710(e.g., “My Competitions”), view results in competitive leagues 715, viewoverall standings for users of the service 720, view results for friendsusing the competitive strategy prediction service 725, change accountsettings 730, or any other option as would be appreciated by one ofordinary skill in the art. Each of these functionalities may beexplained in more detail in the present disclosure.

In some implementations, when the user selects the icon to viewcompetitions 705, the user computing device 115 may display a menu thatallows the user to view lists of current, upcoming, and recentcompetitions, as depicted in the exemplary screenshots 800, 900 of FIGS.8 and 9. The icon to view competitions 705 may remain visible on theuser interfaces 800, 900, 1000. The user may select a tab 805 on theuser interface 800 to view a list of upcoming sporting competitions 810.The user interface 800 may include the dates 815 of the upcomingcompetitions. The user interface 800 may include the start times 820 ofthe upcoming competitions.

By selecting a competition in a list of upcoming competitions, the usercomputing device 115 may display a user interface 900 with informationabout the competition. For example, the information may include therecords of the athletic teams (e.g., 3 wins and 1 loss). In someimplementations, the user interface 900 may include a control 910 thatallows the user to predict which team will win the coin toss. If theuser makes an accurate prediction, the competition management server 105may add points to the user's prediction score.

In some implementations, the user interface 900 may include a control915 that requests a reminder for the competition. If the user selectsthe reminder control 915, the service may send the user a reminderregarding the competition. For example, the service may send an e-mailreminder to the user an hour before the competition begins. For example,the service may send a text message reminder to the user an hour beforethe competition begins. For example, the service may cause the computingdevice to sound an alarm an hour before the competition begins. Althoughthe reminders described herein occur an hour before the competitionbegins, any period of time may be used. In some implementations, theservice may send multiple reminders to the user prior to the start ofthe competition.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a user may select a tab 1005 on the userinterface 1000 to view a list of recent, completed sporting competitions1010. The user interface 1000 may include the final results 1015 of therecent, completed competitions. By selecting a competition from the list1010, the computing device 110 may display a user interface 1100 or 1200with statistics 1110 or 1210 on the competition, such as the exemplaryscreenshots 1100 or 1200 of FIGS. 11 and 12. Statistics on acompetition, such as an American football game, may include the finalscore, the number of points scored in each quarter, the yardage forrushing, the yardage for passing, the number of third down conversions,the number of touchdowns, the number of successful field goal attempts,or any other statistic as would be appreciated by one of ordinary skillin the art. In some implementations, the competition management server105 receives the statistics from the remote devices 120. In someimplementations, the competition management server 105 analyzes eventinformation from the remote devices associated with a competition todetermine the statistics for the competition.

Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14, exemplary user interfaces 1300, 1400displayed on an user computing device 115 when the user selects a tab1305 to view a list of current sporting competitions 1310, 1410 (e.g.,sporting competitions that have not concluded) is shown and described.In some implementations, the list of current sporting competitions mayidentify the teams in the competition, the current score in thecompetition, and an indication of the amount of time that has elapsed inthe competition.

In some implementations, when the user selects the tab 1305 to view alist of current competitions, the competition management server 105 maydetermine the sporting competitions in progress. The competitionmanagement server 105 may transmit a list of the competitions to theuser computing device 115 for the user's selection. In someimplementations, the competition management server 105 may sort thesporting competitions according to the user account's preferences. Forexample, based on the account preferences, the competition managementserver 105 may first present American football competitions in theEastern Division of the AFC first, followed by American footballcompetitions in other divisions. Then, the server 105 may present thecompetitions in the NFC or competitions for other sports, e.g. baseball.

In some implementations, the competition management server 105 maytransmit multiple lists to the user computing device 115. These listsmay separate the different types of sporting competitions, e.g.different lists for baseball competitions and American footballcompetitions. In these implementations, the user may toggle between thelists to view the sporting competitions in progress for differentsports.

In some implementations, the user may select a competition from a listof current sporting competitions 1310, 1410. The user computing device115 may display a user interface 1500 with the identities of the teamsin the competition, the current score, and an indication of the amountof time remaining in the competition (e.g., the current quarter,inning), as depicted in FIG. 15. The interface 1500 may include acontrol 1505 that, when activated, would allow the user to begin usingthe competitive strategy service for the competition.

The user computing device 115 may transmits the request to user theservice for the selected competition to the competition managementserver 105. The competition management server 105 may retrieveinformation about the selected competition. In some implementations, theserver 105 may retrieve the information from internal memory. In someimplementations, the server 105 may retrieve the information from anexternal memory.

The server 105 may retrieve, by way of example, information on thestarting line-up for each team and the status of the competition (e.g.,no score, 13 minutes and 6 seconds left in the first quarter, 3^(rd)down, 4 yards to 1^(st) down, 27 yards to the end zone). The competitionmanagement server 105 may also provide the plays that have occurred,such as the exemplary plays listed in FIG. 16. The competitionmanagement server 105 may forward this information to the user computingdevice 115. The device 115 may display any of the information from theserver 105 to the user. In particular, the device 115 may display theplays that have already occurred in a competition in exemplaryscreenshots such as the screenshots 1600 of FIG. 16. In variousimplementations, if the user is following multiple competitions, theuser computing device 115 may permit the user to toggle betweenscreenshots with the plays for the selected competitions.

Based on the status of the competition, the competition managementserver 105 may identify potential plays. For example, in an Americanfootball competition, the server 105 may identify potential plays basedon the number of the down, the number of yards to go, the amount of timeleft in the competition, the field positions of the team, the score ofthe competition, or any other factor. In another example, in a baseballcompetition, the server 105 may identify potential plays based on thenumber of the inning, the number of outs, and/or the number andpositions of players on base.

In some implementations, the competition management server 105 may storepredetermined sets of potential plays according to the values of anycombination of the above factors. For example, the server 105 may storea predetermined set of potential plays to be presented on every firstdown in an American football game. For example, the server 105 may storea predetermined set of potential plays to be presented whenever afootball team is within 10 yards of the end zone. For example, theserver 105 may store a predetermined set of potential plays to bepresented in a baseball game whenever a runner is on second base in aninning with two outs. For example, the server 105 may store apredetermined set of potential plays to be presented in a baseball gamewhenever a runner is on first base in an inning with one out.

Referring now to FIGS. 17-25, screenshots of user interfaces withexemplary potential plays for an American football game are shown anddescribed. With reference to FIG. 17, a user interface 1700 may displaysix potential plays when a team is on the 30-yard line with a firstdown. In this implementation, the user interface 1700 may include anicon corresponding to a prediction that the team will run the footballfor more than five (5) yards 1705, an icon corresponding to a predictionthat the team will run the football for less than five (5) yards 1710,an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team will pass thefootball for more than ten (10) yards 1715, an icon corresponding to aprediction that the team will pass the football for less than ten (10)yards 1720, an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team willscore a touchdown 1725, and an icon corresponding to a prediction thatthe opposing team will intercept the football 1730.

With reference to FIG. 18, a user interface 1800 may display fourpotential plays when a team is on the 30-yard line with a second downand seven yards to go. In this implementation, the user interface 1800may include an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team will runthe football 1805, an icon corresponding to a prediction that the teamwill pass the football 1810, an icon corresponding to a prediction thatthe team will score a touchdown 1815, and an icon corresponding to aprediction that the team will score a field goal 1820.

With reference to FIG. 19, a user interface 1900 may display twopotential plays when a team is on the 30-yard line with a third down andeight yards to go. In this implementation, the user interface 1900 mayinclude an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team will achievea first down 1905 and an icon corresponding to a prediction that theteam will be held 1910.

With reference to FIG. 20, a user interface 2000 may display fivepotential plays when a team is on the 30-yard line with a fourth downand seven yards to go. In this implementation, the user interface 2000may include an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team willpunt 2005, an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team willachieve a first down 2010, an icon corresponding to a prediction thatthe team will be held 2015, an icon corresponding to a prediction thatthe team will score a touchdown 2020, and an icon corresponding to aprediction that the team will score a field goal 2025.

With reference to FIG. 21, a user interface 2100 may display twopotential plays when a team attempts a field goal. In thisimplementation, the user interface 2100 may include an iconcorresponding to a prediction that the team will score the field goal2105 and an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team will missthe field goal 2110.

With reference to FIG. 22, a user interface 2200 may display fourpotential plays after a team has scored a touchdown. In thisimplementation, the user interface 2200 may include an iconcorresponding to a prediction that the team will score an extra pointvia a field goal 2205, an icon corresponding to a prediction that theteam will fail to obtain an extra point by missing the field goal 2210,an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team will make asuccessful two-point conversion 2215, and an icon corresponding to aprediction that the team will fail to make a two-point conversion 2220.

With reference to FIG. 23, a user interface 2300 may display a slider2305 a user may manipulate for a prediction about the position afootball team will acquire on a kick return. The user may move theslider 2305 to a position corresponding to the prediction (e.g., the20-yard line).

With reference to FIG. 24, a user interface 2400 may display a slider2405 a user may manipulate for a prediction about the position afootball team will acquire on a punt return.

The user may move the slider 2405 to a position corresponding to theprediction (e.g., the 35-yard line).

With reference to FIG. 25, a user interface 2500 may display twopredictions when a coach challenges a decision in the competition. Inthis implementation, the user interface 2500 may include an iconcorresponding to a prediction that the decision will be overturned 2505and an icon corresponding to a prediction that the decision will beupheld 2510.

Referring now to FIGS. 26-31, screenshots of user interfaces used in thecourse of making a prediction for a play in a sporting competition areshown and described. With reference to FIG. 26, the competitionmanagement server 105 may transmit the potential plays for display onthe user computing device 115. The user computing device 115 may displaythe potential plays according to, for example, icons 2605, 2610, 2615,2620, 2625, 2630, 2635, 2640 on the user interface 2600 shown in FIG.26. In some implementations, the user interface 2600 may include a timer2645 that may allot a predetermined period of time for the user toselect a play (e.g., 15 seconds).

With reference to FIG. 27, a user interface 2700 in which a user haseliminated all but two potential plays is depicted. In thisimplementation, an icon corresponding to a prediction that the team willcomplete a pass longer than 10 yards 2705 and an icon corresponding to aprediction that the team will score a touchdown 2710 remain active. Thepotential plays that the user has eliminated from consideration may begrayed out. In some implementations, the user may eliminate a potentialplay according to a predetermined control. For example, the user maydouble tap an icon corresponding to a potential play to gray out theicon. For example, the user may swipe upwards along the icon toeliminate the potential play.

In some implementations, the user may select an icon corresponding to apotential play. The user may change the selected play before the periodof time elapses, after which the user computing device 115 transmits theuser's selection to the competition management server 105. In someimplementations, if the user has not selected a potential play at thistime, the user computing device 115 registers the lack of selection withthe competition management server 105.

With reference to FIG. 28, a user interface 2800 may depict thepredictions 2805 the user and the user's competitors (e.g., friends,competitors in a league) have selected. In some implementations, theuser computing device 115 may depict such an interface 2800 after theperiod of time for making predictions has elapsed. In someimplementations, the competition management server 105 may receive thepredictions from users in a group (e.g., network of friends, competitiveleague). The server 105 may broadcast the predictions of the users toeach member of the group.

In operation, the competition management server 105 may continually pingthe event feed server 110 to determine if another play has occurred inthe competition. In some implementations, the competition managementserver 105 begins communication with the event feed server 110 uponreceipt of the user's selection. In other implementations, thecompetition management server 105 continually pings the event feedserver 110 regardless of the detection of a user selection.

In some implementations, the event feed server 110 may send informationabout each event (e.g., play) as the information becomes available. Whenthe event feed server sends the information, the competition managementserver 105 may not ping the event feed server 110 for information.

When the play becomes available, the competition management server 105may determine the number of points to award users who correctlypredicted the play. The server 105 may base the number of points on theprobability of the play occur. The competition management server 105 maycalculate the probability of the potential play according to, interalia, the status of the competition. For example, regardless of theamount of time left in a football competition, if the offensive teamfinds itself 30 yards from its own goal posts, the competitionmanagement server 105 may calculate a high probability that the nextplay will be a punt. In another example, if there are 2 minutes left inthe last quarter of a football competition, the offensive team is 4yards from the end zone, the score is 24-17 in favor of the defensiveteam, and the play is the 2^(nd) down, the competition management server105 may calculate a higher probability that the next play will result ina touchdown. In further examples, if a baseball competition is in thebottom of the eighth inning and the team at-bat has no outs, a runner atfirst base, and a tied competition, the competition management server105 may calculate a high probability for the next play to be a bunt.Likewise, if such a competition had one out and a runner at second base,the server 105 may calculate a high probability for the next play to bea sacrifice fly.

The server 105 may calculate the probabilities according to anyprobabilistic model applicable to events. For example, the server 105may statistically analyze plays from a database of past football orbaseball competitions (or any other type of sporting competition) todetermine the probabilities of the play. In some implementations, theserver 105 may identify past events according to the team, the number ofthe down, the identity of the quarterback, the score differentialbetween the teams, the amount of time remaining in the competition, theseason record for the team, or any other factor in any combination. Fromthe identified events, the server may calculate a probability that theteam would make the actual play.

For example, a user may be following an American football game betweenTeam A and Team B in the playoffs. Team A may have scored eight fewerpoints than Team B. Team A's primary quarterback may be injured, and thecoach may have included a secondary quarterback in the primaryquarterback's place. Team A may be 25 yards from the end zone, with asecond down and 7 yards until a first down. There may be four minutesand thirty-two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. In someimplementations, the competition management server 105 may identify allplays in the past 10 years when Team A trailed another team by less than10 points in the final quarter of a game. Of these plays, thecompetition management server 105 may identify plays that occurredwithin 30 yards of the end zone, plays that occurred with a secondaryquarterback, plays that occurred on a second down, or any combinationthereof. The competition management server 105 may determine theprobabilities regarding plays that may occur.

In another example, a user may be following a baseball game between TeamA and Team B during the regular season. The game may be occurring inTeam B's stadium. The game may be in the bottom of the 7^(th) inningThere may be a runner at first base, and one out in the inning. RelieverR may be on the mound. Batter BB may be at bat. Team B may be trailingTeam A by one run. In some implementations, the competition managementserver 105 may identify all plays in the past 25 years when Team Btrailed another team by three or 8^(th), fewer runs in the seventh, 6 or9^(th) inning Of these plays, the competition management server 105 mayidentify plays that occurred at Team B's stadium, with Reliever R on themound, Batter BB at bat, one out in the inning, a runner at first base,or any combination thereof. The competition management server 105 maydetermine the probabilities regarding plays that may occur.

Further, from these probabilities, the competition management server 105may assign point values to the plays. In some implementations, the lowerthe probability that a play will occur, the more points the server 105may assign to the potential play. In some implementations, the number ofpoints may be the difference between 100 and the probability the playwould occur (e.g., a play with a 14% chance of occurring would beassigned a point value of 86). Relating the probability of a play withthe point value would provide greater rewards to users for correctlypredicting unlikely and/or risky plays.

The competition management server 105 may compare the identity of theactual play with the play selected by the user. The competitionmanagement server 105 may update the prediction point score and/or theprediction percentage score of the user based upon the comparison. Ifthe user did not make a selection before the period of time elapsed orbefore the event feed server 110 transmitted the identity of the nextplay to the competition management server 105 before the user could makea selection, the user's prediction scores may remain the same. If theuser incorrectly predicted the play, the competition management server105 may deduct points from the user's prediction point score. The numberof points deducted may be a constant, predetermined number, e.g. 10points. In some implementations, the competition management server 105may leave the user's prediction point score unchanged in response to anincorrect prediction. The server 105 may also adjust the user'sprediction percentage score. If the user correctly predicted the play,the server 105 may add the number of points corresponding to the play tothe user's prediction point score. Additionally, the server 105 mayupdate the user's prediction percentage score.

In some implementations, the server 105 may update the user's predictionscore based on a comparison between the user's prediction, the actualevent, and other users' predictions.

For example, the server 105 may increase the user's prediction score byan additional amount if the user is the only member of a group (e.g., acompetitive league) to make an accurate prediction of the play. Forexample, the server 105 may increase the user's prediction score by anextra ten points. In some examples, the server 105 may divide the numberof points awarded for making a correct prediction among the users whomade the correct prediction. For example, suppose a play had an 80%chance of occurring. In some implementations, the server 105 would award20 points for an accurate prediction of the play. If four users in acompetitive league correctly predicted the play, the server 105 maydivide the 20 points among the four users to award each user 5 points.

In various implementations, the user computing device 115 updates theuser's prediction scores. In these implementations, after thecompetition management server 105 transmits the identity of the actualplay received from the events feed server 110, the competitionmanagement server 105 recalculates the probabilities and correspondingpoint values of the potential plays. The server 105 transmits the pointvalues to the user computing device 115. When the server 105 transmitsthe identity of an actual play, the user computing device 115 comparesthe actual play with the user's selected prediction and updates theuser's prediction scores accordingly.

With reference to FIG. 29, a user interface 2900 with a window 2910informing the user that his or her prediction was incorrect is shown.With reference to FIG. 30, a user interface 3000 with a window 3010informing the user that his or her prediction was correct is shown. Thewindow 3010 may include the number of points to be added to the user'sprediction score as a result of the correct prediction. In someimplementations, the user's selected prediction for the play 3005 mayremain highlighted. The user interface 3000 may include a control 3015that enables real-time communication with other users of the service.The user interface 300 may include a control 3020 that permits access tostatistics regarding various metrics of users of the service.

Referring now to FIG. 31, a user interface 3100 for communication withother users may be displayed upon selection of the communication control3015, by way of example. The interface 3100 may include a window 3105that displays comments. In some implementations, the window 3105 maydisplay comments by friends following the same game, according to anaccount setting. In some implementations, the window 3105 may displaycomments by users in the same competitive league who are following thesame game, according to an account setting. The user interface 3100 mayinclude a control 3110 for the user to input a comment. Selection of thecontrol 3110 may retrieve the computing device's input interface 3200,as depicted in FIG. 32. The input interface may include a keypad 3205, awindow for displaying inputted text 3210, and a submission control 3215.Upon selection of the submission control 3215, the text inputted intothe window 3210 may be transmitted to the competition management server105. The server 105 may broadcast the text to all user computing devices115 associated with users following the same game in the same groupingas the user (e.g., friends, competitive league).

In some embodiments, then the sporting competition ends, the competitionmanagement server 105 may transmit a message indicating thecompetition's end to the user computing device 115. If the usercomputing device 115 is tracking the user's prediction score(s), thedevice 115 may transmit the user's updated scores to the competitionmanagement server 105, where the server 105 stores the scores in theuser's account. In some implementations, after a competition ends, theuser computing device 115 may retrieve updated prediction scores ofother users in the user's competition leagues from the competitionmanagement server 105. The user computing device 115 may display updatedstandings for members of competitive leagues based on the updatedscores, as in the exemplary screenshot of FIG. 33. In variousimplementations, the mobile computer device 115 may return the user to amain menu after a competition ends, and from that main menu, the usermay select an icon to view updated standings for users in competitiveleagues.

Referring now to FIGS. 34 and 35, exemplary user interfaces 3400 and3500 displayed in response to selection of the control 3020 that permitsaccess to statistics regarding various metrics of users of the service,by way of example, are shown and described. In response to the usercommand to access statistics, the user computing device 115 may retrievestatistics determined by the competition management server 105. A usermay select a tab 3405 for comparing statistics among the user's friends.The user interface 3400 may display prediction statistics 3410 for theuser's friends, as identified in the user's account. The statistics mayinclude each user's number of prediction points. The statistics mayinclude each user's percentage of correct predictions. A user may selecta tab 3505 for comparing statistics among all the users of the service.The user interface 3400 may display prediction statistics 3510 for allthe users.

Referring now to FIG. 36, an exemplary user interface 3600 for comparingstatistics between two users is shown and described. In someimplementations, a user may compare statistics by selecting two usersfrom the list of users, as depicted in the screenshots 3400 and 3500 ofFIGS. 34 and 35. In some implementations, the interface 3600 may show anoverall comparison of the users' statistics. In some implementations,the interface 3600 may show a comparison of the users' statistics for aparticular game. The statistics may be any metric, such as thepercentage of correct predictions for rushing, passing, scoringtouchdowns, or any other play. The statistics may be the number ofpoints earned by each user for his or her correct predictions.

In some implementations, the competitive strategy prediction service maypermit users to invite other users to join the service. The service mayenable users to communicate with users through social networks. Inresponse to user selection of the contacts icon 3705, the user computingdevice 115 may display a user interface 3700, as shown in FIG. 37. Theuser interface 3700 may include a control 3710 for accessing the user'sexisting contacts on social networks. The user interface 3700 mayinclude a control 3715 for viewing pending invitations sent to contactsfor joining the service. The user interface may include a display of theuser's existing contacts within the service 3720.

When a user selects the control 3710 for accessing the user's existingcontacts on social networks, the user computing device 115 may displaythe exemplary user interface 3800 depicted in FIG. 38. The userinterface 3800 may include a list 3810 of sources of contacts. In someimplementations, sources may include contacts in a social network. Insome implementations, sources may include contacts stored in an addressbook on the computing device 110.

The user may select the control When a user selects the control 3710 foraccessing the user's existing contacts on social networks, the usercomputing device 115 may display the exemplary user interface 3800depicted in FIG. 38. The user interface 3800 may include a list ofsources of contacts. In some implementations, sources 3810, 3815 mayinclude contacts in a social network. In some implementations, sources3820 may include contacts stored in an address book on the computingdevice 110.

The user may access contacts in a social network by selecting theconnection control 3810, 3815. The user computing device 115 may displaya user interface 3900 that lists users on the social network, as shownin FIG. 39. In some implementations, the user computing device 115 mayshow users on the social network who are already using the competitivestrategy prediction service. The user may add a contact to the user'sgroup of friends on the service by selecting an “add” control 3920adjacent to the contact's name. In some implementations, the user maysearch for the name of a contact by inputting text into a search field3910.

Referring now to FIG. 40, a user interface 4000 for inviting contacts tojoin the competitive strategy prediction service is shown and described.The user may have accessed contacts in an address book stored on theuser computing device 115, by way of example. In some implementations,the user interface 4000 may depict contacts 4005 who are already usersof the competitive strategy prediction service. The user may add acontact to his or her group of friends on the service by selecting the“add” control 4010 adjacent to the contact's name. In someimplementations, the user interface 4000 may depict contacts 4015 whoare not users of the service. The user may invite a contact to join theservice by selecting the “invite” control 4020 adjacent to the contact'sname. In response, the service may send an invitation to the contact viae-mail, by way of example.

FIGS. 41A and 41B depict block diagrams of an exemplary computing devicethat can be used in some implementations of the devices of FIG. 1 (e.g.,competition management server 105, event feed server 110, computingdevice 115 a-n, remote device 120). As shown in FIGS. 41A and 41B, eachcomputing device includes a central processing unit 4101, and a mainmemory unit 4122. As shown in FIG. 41A, a computing device 4100 mayinclude a visual display device 4124, a keyboard 4126 and/or a pointingdevice 4127, such as a mouse. Each computing device 4100 may alsoinclude additional optional elements, such as one or more input/outputdevices 4130 a-4130 b (generally referred to using reference numeral4130), and a cache memory 4140 in communication with the centralprocessing unit 4101.

The central processing unit 4101 is any logic circuitry that responds toand processes instructions fetched from the main memory unit 4122. Inmany implementations, the central processing unit is provided by amicroprocessor unit, such as: those manufactured by Intel Corporation ofMountain View, Calif.; those manufactured by Motorola Corporation ofSchaumburg, Ill.; those manufactured by Transmeta Corporation of SantaClara, Calif.; the RS/6000 processor, those manufactured byInternational Business Machines of White Plains, N.Y.; or thosemanufactured by Advanced Micro Devices of Sunnyvale, Calif. Thecomputing device 4100 may be based on any of these processors, or anyother processor capable of operating as described herein.

Main memory unit 4122 may be one or more memory chips capable of storingdata and allowing any storage location to be directly accessed by themicroprocessor 4101, such as Static random access memory (SRAM), BurstSRAM or SynchBurst SRAM (BSRAM), Dynamic random access memory (DRAM),Fast Page Mode DRAM (FPM DRAM), Enhanced DRAM (EDRAM), Extended DataOutput RAM (EDO RAM), Extended Data Output DRAM (EDO DRAM), BurstExtended Data Output DRAM (BEDO DRAM), Enhanced DRAM (EDRAM),synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), JEDEC SRAM, PC100 SDRAM, Double Data RateSDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), SyncLink DRAM (SLDRAM),Direct Rambus DRAM (DRDRAM), or Ferroelectric RAM (FRAM). The mainmemory 4122 may be based on any of the above described memory chips, orany other available memory chips capable of operating as describedherein. In the implementation shown in FIG. 41A, the processor 4101communicates with main memory 4122 via a system bus 4150 (described inmore detail below). FIG. 41A depicts an implementation of a computingdevice 4100 in which the processor communicates directly with mainmemory 4122 via a memory port 4103. For example, in FIG. 41B the mainmemory 4122 may be DRDRAM.

FIG. 41B depicts an implementation in which the main processor 4101communicates directly with cache memory 4140 via a secondary bus,sometimes referred to as a backside bus. In other implementations, themain processor 4101 communicates with cache memory 4140 using the systembus 4150. Cache memory 4140 typically has a faster response time thanmain memory 4122 and is typically provided by SRAM, BSRAM, or EDRAM. Inthe implementation shown in FIG. 41A, the processor 4101 communicateswith various I/O devices 4130 via a local system bus 4150. Various busesmay be used to connect the central processing unit 4101 to any of theI/O devices 4130, including a VESA VL bus, an ISA bus, an EISA bus, aMicroChannel Architecture (MCA) bus, a PCI bus, a PCI-X bus, aPCI-Express bus, or a NuBus. For implementations in which the I/O deviceis a video display 4124, the processor 4101 may use an Advanced GraphicsPort (AGP) to communicate with the display 4124. FIG. 41B depicts animplementation of a computer 4100 in which the main processor 4101communicates directly with I/O device 4130 via HyperTransport, RapidI/O, or InfiniBand. FIG. 41B also depicts an implementation in whichlocal busses and direct communication are mixed: the processor 4101communicates with I/O device 4130 using a local interconnect bus whilecommunicating with I/O device 4130 directly.

The computing device 4100 may support any suitable installation device4116, such as a floppy disk drive for receiving floppy disks such as3.5-inch, 5.25-inch disks or ZIP disks, a CD-ROM drive, a CD-R/RW drive,a DVD-ROM drive, tape drives of various formats, USB device, hard-driveor any other device suitable for installing software and programs suchas any client agent 4120, or portion thereof. The computing device 4100may further comprise a storage device 4128, such as one or more harddisk drives or redundant arrays of independent disks, for storing anoperating system and other related software, and for storing applicationsoftware programs such as any program related to the client agent 4120.Optionally, any of the installation devices 4116 could also be used asthe storage device 4128. Additionally, the operating system and thesoftware may be run from a bootable medium, for example, a bootable CD,such as KNOPPIX®, a bootable CD for GNU/Linux that is available as aGNU/Linux distribution from knoppix.net.

Furthermore, the computing device 4100 may include a network interface4118 to interface to a Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN)or the Internet through a variety of connections including, but notlimited to, standard telephone lines, LAN or WAN links (e.g., 802.11,T1, T3, 56 kb, X.25), broadband connections (e.g., ISDN, Frame Relay,ATM), wireless connections, or some combination of any or all of theabove. The network interface 4118 may comprise a built-in networkadapter, network interface card, PCMCIA network card, card bus networkadapter, wireless network adapter, USB network adapter, modem or anyother device suitable for interfacing the computing device 4100 to anytype of network capable of communication and performing the operationsdescribed herein.

A wide variety of I/O devices 4130 a-4130 n may be present in thecomputing device 4100. Input devices include keyboards, mice, trackpads,trackballs, touchscreens, microphones, and drawing tablets. Outputdevices include video displays, speakers, inkjet printers, laserprinters, and dye-sublimation printers. The I/O devices 4130 may becontrolled by an I/O controller 4123 as shown in FIG. 41A. The I/Ocontroller may control one or more I/O devices such as a keyboard 4126and a pointing device 4127, e.g., a mouse or optical pen. Furthermore,an I/O device may also provide storage 4128 and/or an installationmedium 4116 for the computing device 4100. In still otherimplementations, the computing device 4100 may provide USB connectionsto receive handheld USB storage devices such as the USB Flash Drive lineof devices manufactured by Twintech Industry, Inc. of Los Alamitos,Calif.

In some implementations, the computing device 4100 may comprise or beconnected to multiple display devices 4124 a-4124 n, which each may beof the same or different type and/or form. As such, any of the I/Odevices 4130 a-4130 n and/or the I/O controller 4123 may comprise anytype and/or form of suitable hardware, software, or combination ofhardware and software to support, enable or provide for the connectionand use of multiple display devices 4124 a-4124 n by the computingdevice 4100. For example, the computing device 4100 may include any typeand/or form of video adapter, video card, driver, and/or library tointerface, communicate, connect or otherwise use the display devices4124 a-4124 n. In one implementation, a video adapter may comprisemultiple connectors to interface to multiple display devices 4124 a-4124n. In other implementations, the computing device 4100 may includemultiple video adapters, with each video adapter connected to one ormore of the display devices 4124 a-4124 n. In some implementations, anyportion of the operating system of the computing device 4100 may beconfigured for using multiple displays 4124 a-4124 n. In otherimplementations, one or more of the display devices 4124 a-4124 n may beprovided by one or more other computing devices, such as computingdevices 4100 a and 4100 b connected to the computing device 4100, forexample, via a network. These implementations may include any type ofsoftware designed and constructed to use another computer's displaydevice as a second display device 4124 a for the computing device 4100.One ordinarily skilled in the art will recognize and appreciate thevarious ways and implementations that a computing device 4100 may beconfigured to have multiple display devices 4124 a-4124 n.

In further implementations, an I/O device 4130 may be a bridge 4170between the system bus 4150 and an external communication bus, such as aUSB bus, an Apple Desktop Bus, an RS-232 serial connection, a SCSI bus,a FireWire bus, a FireWire 800 bus, an Ethernet bus, an AppleTalk bus, aGigabit Ethernet bus, an Asynchronous Transfer Mode bus, a HIPPI bus, aSuper HIPPI bus, a SerialPlus bus, a SCI/LAMP bus, a FibreChannel bus,or a Serial Attached small computer system interface bus.

A computing device 4100 of the sort depicted in FIGS. 41A and 41Btypically operate under the control of operating systems, which controlscheduling of tasks and access to system resources. The computing device4100 may be running any operating system such as any of the versions ofthe Microsoft® Windows operating systems, the different releases of theUnix and Linux operating systems, any version of the Mac OS® forMacintosh computers, any embedded operating system, any real-timeoperating system, any open source operating system, any proprietaryoperating system, any operating systems for mobile computing devices, orany other operating system capable of running on the computing deviceand performing the operations described herein. Typical operatingsystems include: WINDOWS 3.x, WINDOWS 95, WINDOWS 98, WINDOWS 2000,WINDOWS NT 3.51, WINDOWS NT 4.0, WINDOWS CE, and WINDOWS XP, all ofwhich are manufactured by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.;MacOS, manufactured by Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif.; OS/2,manufactured by International Business Machines of Armonk, N.Y.; andLinux, a freely-available operating system distributed by Caldera Corp.of Salt Lake City, Utah, or any type and/or form of a Unix operatingsystem, among others.

In other implementations, the computing device 4100 may have differentprocessors, operating systems, and input devices consistent with thedevice. Moreover, the computing device 4100 may be any workstation,desktop computer, server, any other computer, or other form of computingor telecommunications device that is capable of communication and thathas sufficient processor power and memory capacity to perform theoperations described herein.

The user computing device 115 may be embodied in any one of thefollowing computing devices: a handheld computer; tablet computer;mobile telephone; portable telecommunication device; media playingdevice; gaming system; netbook; a kiosk; device of the iPad or iPodfamilies of devices manufactured by Apple Computer; or any other typeand/or form of computing, telecommunications, or media device that iscapable of communication and that has sufficient processor power andmemory capacity to perform the methods and systems described herein,including non-mobile devices. In some implementations, the usercomputing device 115 may be a mobile device such as a Java-enabledcellular telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA), e.g. the i55sr,i58sr, i85s, i90c, i95c1, or the im1100 manufactured by MotorolaCorporation; the 6035 or 7135, manufactured by Kyocera; or the i300 ori330, manufactured by Samsung Electronic Co., Ltd. In variousimplementations, the user computing device 115 may be any device thatuses the Android operating system of Google Inc., such as the HTC Dreammanufactured by HTC Corporation.

In some implementations, any of actions executed by the competitionmanagement server 105, event feed server 110, or remote devices 120 maybe executed on one or more computing devices. For example, actionsexecuted by the competition management server 105 may be executed on oneor more computing devices. Some actions executed by the competitionmanagement server 105 and some actions executed by the event feed server110 may be executed on the same computing device. The actions executedby the competition management server 105, event feed server 110, and/orremote devices 120 may be allocated among a plurality of computingdevices. In some implementations, the computing devices may be devicesin a cloud computing environment. In some implementations, the computingdevices may communicate over at least one network.

Referring now to FIG. 42, an exemplary user interface 4200 displayed onan user computing device 115 when the user selects a tab 42 to view alist of current ice hockey competitions 4210 is shown and described. Insome implementations, the list of current ice hockey competitions mayidentify the teams in the competition, the current score in thecompetition, and an indication of the amount of time that has elapsed inthe competition (e.g., the current period of the competition).

In some implementations, when the user selects the tab 4205 to view alist of current competitions, the competition management server 105 maydetermine the ice hockey competitions in progress. The competitionmanagement server 105 may transmit a list of the competitions to theuser computing device 115 for the user's selection. In someimplementations, the competition management server 105 may sort the icehockey competitions according to the user account's preferences.

In some implementations, the user may select a competition from a listof current ice hockey competitions 4210. The user computing device 115may display a user interface 4300 with the identities of the teams inthe competition, the current score, and an indication of the amount oftime remaining in the competition (e.g., the current period), asdepicted in FIG. 43. The interface 4300 may include a control 4315 that,when activated, would allow the user to begin using the competitivestrategy service for the competition.

Referring now to FIG. 44, an exemplary user interface 4400 used in thecourse of making a prediction for an outcome of a sporting competitionis shown and described. The user interface 4400 may permit a user topredict a final score of an ice hockey competition. In someimplementations, the interface 4400 may include dials 4410, 4420 for theuser to scroll through potential final scores for the teams. In someimplementations, the interface 4400 may include a control 4425 whoseactivation by the user submits the predicted scores to the competitionmanagement server 105.

Referring now to FIG. 45, an exemplary user interface 4500 used in thecourse of making a prediction for plays in a competition is shown anddescribed. The user interface 4500 may include an icon 4505corresponding to a prediction that Team A will successfully score in afirst shootout and an icon 4510 corresponding to a prediction that TeamA will not successfully score in a first shootout. The user interface4500 may include an icon 4515 corresponding to a prediction that Team Awill successfully score in a second shootout and an icon 4520corresponding to a prediction that Team A will not successfully score ina second shootout.

The user interface 4500 may include an icon 4525 corresponding to aprediction that Team B will not successfully score in a first shootoutand an icon 4530 corresponding to a prediction that Team B willsuccessfully score in a first shootout. The user interface 4500 mayinclude an icon 4535 corresponding to a prediction that Team B will notsuccessfully score in a second shootout and an icon 4540 correspondingto a prediction that Team B will successfully score in a secondshootout.

Referring now to FIG. 46, an exemplary user interface 4600 used in thecourse of making a prediction for plays in a competition. The userinterface 4600 may include an icon 4610 corresponding to a predictionthat an ice hockey team with at least one player advantage will score agoal during a power play, an icon 4615 corresponding to a predictionthat neither ice hockey team will score a goal during a power play, andan icon 4620 corresponding to a prediction that the ice hockey team withat least one player disadvantage will score a goal during a power play.

With reference to FIG. 47, a user interface 4700 may display a slider4705 a user may manipulate for a prediction about the time when an icehockey team will score a goal during a power play. The user may move theslider 4705 to a position corresponding to the prediction (e.g., 1minute, 15 seconds).

With reference to FIG. 48, an exemplary user interface 4800 used in thecourse of making a prediction for an outcome in a competition is shownand described. The user interface 4800 may include an icon 4810corresponding to a prediction that a full boxing round will elapsewithout a boxer being knocked out. The user interface 4800 may includean icon 4820 corresponding to a prediction that a boxer will be knockedout during the round.

With reference to FIG. 49, an exemplary user interface 4900 used in thecourse of making a prediction for an outcome in a competition is shownand described. The user interface 4900 may include icons 4910, 4920enabling a user to select which boxer the user predicts willsuccessfully throw the first punch in a boxing match.

Referring now to FIG. 50, an exemplary user interface 5000 fordisplaying statistics about a boxing match is shown and described. Theuser interface may display controls enabling a user to select the typeof statistics for viewing. For example, the interface 5000 may include acontrol 5010 for viewing the number of punches thrown. The interface5000 may include a control 5015 for viewing the percentage of punchesthrown successfully. The interface 5000 may include a control 5020 forviewing the statistics for a round.

Referring now to FIG. 51, an exemplary user interface 5100 for comparingstatistics between two users who made predictions for a boxing match isshown and described. In some implementations, a user may comparestatistics by selecting two users from the list of users. In someimplementations, the interface 5100 may show an overall comparison ofthe users' statistics. In some implementations, the interface 5100 mayshow a comparison of the users' statistics for a particular boxingmatch. The statistics may be any metric, such as the percentage ofcorrect predictions for landed punches, thrown punches, first punches ofthe rounds, final punches of the round, and winner predictions. Thestatistics may be the number of points earned by each user for his orher correct predictions.

In view of the structure, functions and apparatus of the systems andmethods described here, in some implementations, a dynamic, efficientand intelligent system for scoring competitive strategy predictions ofusers on a play-by-play basis is provided. Having described certainimplementations of methods and systems for scoring competitive strategypredictions, it will now become apparent to one of skill in the art thatother implementations incorporating the concepts of the disclosure maybe used. Therefore, the disclosure should not be limited to certainimplementations, but rather should be limited only by the spirit andscope of the following claims.

1.-19. (canceled)
 20. A method comprising: receiving, in real time via afirst network, an identity of a first event that has occurred in a livesporting competition, wherein the live sporting competition comprises aplurality of events; identifying, by a processor of a computing device,two or more potential next plays, wherein the two or more potential nextplays are identified based at least in part upon the first event;causing, by the processor, display of the two or more potential nextplays to a user of a second computing device, wherein the secondcomputing device is in communication with the first computing device viaa second network, each play of the two or more potential next plays isassociated with a selectable control, and the respective selectablecontrols are activated for selection for a predetermined period of time;receiving, from the second computing device, within the predeterminedperiod of time, a prediction of a next event, wherein the next eventcomprises a first play of the two or more potential next plays;receiving, in real time via the first network, an identity of a secondevent that has occurred in the live sporting competition, wherein thesecond event comprises an actual next play; determining, by theprocessor, a match between the next event and the second event;responsive to determining the match, determining, by the processor, anumber of points associated with the prediction of the next event, andincreasing, by the processor, a score of the user based upon success ofprediction of the next event; and causing, by the processor, display ofan indication of success of the prediction of the next event to the userof the second computing device.
 21. The method of claim 20, comprising,responsive to the second event, updating, in real time, at least onestatistic associated with at least one of a) a player involved in thesecond event, and b) a sporting team involved in the second event. 22.The method of claim 21, wherein the live sporting competition is abaseball game, the second event comprises a turn at bat for the player,and the at least one statistic comprises a batting average.
 23. Themethod of claim 20, comprising, prior to receiving the prediction,causing, by the processor, display of a competition status to the userof the second computing device.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein thecompetition status comprises one or more of a) a current score of thelive sporting competition, b) a remaining time of at least a portion ofthe live sporting competition, and c) a plurality of past events withinthe live sporting competition.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein thecompetition status comprises position information regarding at least oneof a) one or more players in the live sporting competition, and b) aball.
 26. The method of claim 20, wherein causing display of the two ormore potential next plays comprises causing display of a timer, whereinthe timer illustrates passage of the predetermined period of time. 27.The method of claim 20, comprising determining, by the processor, aprobability of occurrence of the next event, wherein determining thenumber of points comprises determining the number of points based atleast in part upon the probability of occurrence of the next event. 28.The method of claim 27, wherein the probability of occurrence isdetermined after receiving the identity of the second event.
 29. Themethod of claim 20, wherein the first network is the second network. 30.An apparatus, comprising: a processor; and memory, the memory storinginstructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processorto: receive, in real time via a first network, an identity of a firstevent that has occurred in a live sporting competition, wherein the livesporting competition comprises a plurality of events; identify two ormore potential next plays, wherein the two or more potential next playsare identified based at least in part upon the first event; causedisplay of the two or more potential next plays to a user of a computingdevice, wherein; the computing device is in communication with theapparatus via a second network, and each play of the two or morepotential next plays is associated with a selectable control; receive,from the computing device, a prediction of a next event, wherein theprediction comprises selection of a first selectable control associatedwith a first play of the two or more potential next plays; receive, inreal time via the first network, an identity of a second event that hasoccurred in the live sporting competition, wherein the second eventcomprises an actual next play; determine that the next event matches thesecond event; and responsive to determining the next event matches thesecond event, determine a number of points to associate with theprediction, and cause display, to the user of the computing device, of ascore of the user, wherein the score of the user is adjusted based uponthe number of points.
 31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the scoreof the user is a prediction score associated with a type of the livesporting competition, wherein the user is associated with at least oneadditional prediction score.
 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein theat least one additional prediction score comprises a cumulativeprediction score based upon a total number of predictions submitted bythe user via a competitive strategy prediction service.
 33. Theapparatus of claim 30, wherein the instructions, when executed, furthercause the processor to, responsive to determining the next event matchesthe second event, adjust a prediction percentage score associated withthe user, wherein the prediction percentage score identifies apercentage of correct predictions made by the user.
 34. A methodcomprising: receiving, via a first network, a plurality of predictionsof an upcoming event, wherein the upcoming event comprises a play withina live sporting competition, and each prediction of the plurality ofpredictions is associated with a respective user of a plurality ofusers, wherein the plurality of users are competing in a competitiongroup via a competitive strategy prediction service, and each respectiveuser of the plurality of users is associated with a user account of thestrategy prediction service; receiving, via a second network, in realtime, identification of a next event that has occurred in the livesporting competition; identifying, by a processor of a computing device,a subset of users of the plurality of users associated with a respectiveprediction matching the next event; responsive to the respectiveprediction matching the next event, modifying, by the processor, a scoreof each user of the subset of users, wherein the respective user accountcomprises the score; and for at least a first user of the plurality ofusers, causing, by the processor, upon a display area of a computingdevice used to issue the respective prediction of the first user,presentation of for each additional user of the plurality of users, anidentification of the respective user, and the respective prediction ofthe respective user.
 35. The method of claim 34, wherein modifying thescore of each user of the subset of users comprises determining a numberof points to allocate to the respective user based in part uponpredictions of other users of the plurality of users.
 36. The method ofclaim 35, wherein modifying the score of each user of the subset ofusers comprises: determining the subset of users consists of one user;and responsive to determining only one user successfully predicted thenext event, increasing the respective score of the one user by anadditional amount.
 37. The method of claim 34, wherein at least oneprediction of the plurality of predictions indicates a lack of selectionof a prediction by the respective user.
 38. The method of claim 34,wherein the plurality of users comprise a competition league, whereinthe competition league competes, via the competitive strategy predictionservice, with at least one additional competition league, wherein eachadditional competition league of the at least one additional competitionleague comprises two or more additional users.
 39. The method of claim38, comprising: determining, for each user of the plurality of users, arespective standing within the competition league, wherein therespective standing is based at least in part upon the respective scoreof each users of the plurality of users; and causing, by the processor,upon the display area of the computing device used to issue therespective prediction of the first user, presentation of standings foreach user of at least a subset of the plurality of users.